My Michiru
by Kami no Neko
Summary: After an accident, the scouts, mainly Haruka, try to cope with a terrible loss, but they find that those you love have a way of hanging around. Please review!
1. Metal Prison

_My Michiru_

Disclaimer: I do not have ownership over any of Takeuchi Naoko's ideas from the Sailor Moon anime or manga. But I will proudly proclaim myself an avid fan and fanfic-fan! **Does Sailor Moon's "I will punish you" thing**

Part I

"It's frigid… can't we go inside somewhere?"

Ten'oh Haruka looked pitifully at the shivering girl walking next to her. "Oh, come on, Michiru, isn't that new coat good for anything?"

Kaiou Michiru gave a shudder as a freezing gust blew her wavy sea green hair all about her face. "_Itai_!It doesn't seem to be doing much against this wind," she said as she wrapped her sky blue and faux fur-trimmed coat tighter around her trembling body. Haruka sighed and suppressed her own tremors as snowflakes glimmered against her eyelashes. December seemed to have come on so suddenly, like the occasional bursts of icy wind that had plagued her and Michiru all afternoon. Now it was Christmas Eve, and Tokyo was covered with a blanket of snow. Haruka and Michiru were out doing last minute Christmas shopping, and Michi was testing out the coat that she had opened early as was custom in their "family." It had stopped keeping her warm soon after the blizzard had started. 

Haruka gave a jolt as a gust blew by her and glanced over at Michiru, who was now shuddering consistently. Haruka realized with a start that the coat was not waterproof, and Michiru was soaked!

"Come on, let's get inside somewhere. You look… bad," the tomboy finished lamely. 

Michiru's eyes darted back and forth along the street. "Looks like most everything is closed at this hour. It's been dark for a long—Haruka, look!"

Haruka's gaze followed Michiru's gloved hand until it settled on a brightly lit window filled with exquisite lamps. "One of those lamps would be perfect for Hime-chan," Michiru cried earnestly as she searched Haruka's face for a sign of approval.

Haruka squinted at the window and then at Michiru and shrugged. "I'll see if we have enough." Michiru smiled appreciatively and turned to go inside the shop.

The warmth from the lamps and candles in the shop enveloped the women as they stepped indoors. Michiru immediately began browsing the window display. "There was one I saw that Hime-chan would just love… here it is!" She held up a purple glass sconce painted with white lilies and shaped like a flower itself. "It is beautiful," Haruka agreed, smiling. "Let's buy it, then."

As the pair came out of the shop, Haruka buttoning her coat and Michiru carefully holding the boxed lamp, the wind suddenly ceased, leaving only the gently falling snow. Michiru smiled gleefully. "Now it'll be much easier going home."

"Yeah, and it's about time we get going," Haruka said. "The wind could pick up again at any second. Let's go warm up the car."

Michiru and Haruka walked the block to their car in silence. As Haruka started the engine and ran the heat, Michiru lay back in the seat and heaved a long, contented sigh. "Haruka-chan?"

"Yes?"

"Merry Christmas."

Haruka paused and looked at Michiru, who stared back intently with her deep pools of eyes. Right now there was nothing she wanted more than to stay that way.

"Merry Christmas, Michiru…"

*****

"Hey, you! Gimme another round…"

The bartender obliged silently and slid a mug down the counter toward a towering, drunken man, who downed it quickly. 

"Hey, you'd best be getting out of here soon. We're about to close. It's past nine, you know."

The bleary-eyed man slammed his mug down on the bar. "Past nine… damn," he muttered.

The bartender looked up from cleaning his glasses. "You've been here all afternoon. Why the hell are you getting drunk on Christmas Eve?"

The drunken man shrugged. "Got nothin' better to do; I don't got a family or anything to spend the day with. I've got a lot of things to worry about anyway… might as well wash 'em down so I can wake up good an' happy on Christmas."

"You'll wake up with the worst hangover you've ever had," the bartender said matter-of-factly. "And you should know that alcohol's a depressant, anyway. Ain't washing away any problems, just creating more."

"Are you really closing now?" the other man asked loudly, changing the subject. "I'd have a few more…"

"I ain't giving you anything more to drink, but you can stay here 'til the alcohol wears down. The roads are pretty bad, and you'd just make 'em worse with your state."

"Aw, shit," mumbled the man as he staggered to the door. "You ain't good for nothin'." Coming out into the night, the man was shocked by the cold and fell face-first into the snow. "Dammit," he muttered as he heaved himself to the door of his semi-truck. 

As he started down the road, the man didn't notice that he was all over the road. He stared dumbly and drunkenly into space as his truck swerved onto a bridge. Only when he blinked did he see the little yellow convertible heading straight for his truck. He saw the pretty girl in the passenger side screaming to the driver, saw the driver slam on the brakes, but he did nothing. Then suddenly he realized his vehicle was so huge that it would kill the two girls.

"Oh, SHIT!" the man yelled as he tried to swerve hard right. But it was too late. The front of his truck plowed into the side of the car, and he watched the two girls begin to slide… 

*****

Haruka didn't panic. She'd dealt with spinouts before; why should this one be much different? But this was a bridge, and it was covered with ice. She only had a few feet… she could see the barrier, she could hear Michiru screaming as the metal snapped and gave way… she felt the wind in her ears as the car plummeted toward the rocks…

Oh, God, please let us die together… 

 Bottom hit bottom and Haruka was slammed against the steering wheel. The horn sounded. With a groan, the car started to roll down the ravine. Haruka gripped the steering wheel and pushed herself off. Her arms felt like they were about to break, her eyes were filled with tears, her left side was burning…

And the car stopped.

Silence screamed in Haruka's ears as she gazed blankly out the space where the windshield had been so few seconds before. She made no effort to keep her own blood from trickling into her eyes and out the side of her mouth as she watched the snowflakes falling gently onto the crumpled hood. It was Christmas Eve and here she was, lying limply in a prison of metal and broken glass at the bottom of a ravine. It was amazing… just fifteen minutes earlier, she had been one of the happiest people in the world.

"…Michiru?" The name was like music, but the saying of it brought a river of blood gushing out of Haruka's mouth. She choked and tried to right herself. _My arms work, at least,_ she thought, _I'm not completely paralyzed. _Slowly wiping the blood from her eyes, Haruka leaned back against the seat and let her head fall to the side. 

But Michiru was not in the seat next to her.

Haruka could not move from the car. She tried frantically to see her from where she was. "Michiru?" she cried. Her voice echoed around the ravine, but was not answered. "Michiru! Where are you?!" She choked on her last word, doubling over, and watched the blood spill from her mouth. "M-michiru…" she cried weakly before collapsing on the wheel. Her car had had no airbags…

After what seemed like hours, Haruka heard sirens. Unfamiliar voices filled her head with their frantic shouts as she waited for the paramedics to come down. _Please find Michiru…_

"I think we have a survivor…"

Haruka heard the door being pried open, felt her body being lifted and placed on a canvas stretcher. She looked up at the paramedic and opened her mouth to speak, but he was too quick. "You're badly hurt, miss… we'll have to get you to breathe normally; it will do you a lot of good…"

To Haruka's surprise, she found she was crying, bleeding from the mouth between her sobs. "Where's Michiru?" she whimpered softly. The paramedic responded by telling her to take deep breaths.

"I'm fine, dammit! Where's Michiru?" she cried, her voice full of desperation. The man sighed reluctantly and pointed to the bottom of the ravine. Haruka turned her head and saw that the rocks were covered in a trail of red snow. At the end of it was a girl with soft blue waves, wrapped in a torn coat and lying as still as death. Her vision and all around it was swallowed in darkness in an instant.

*****

"Usagi-chan! Phone for you!" Luna called across the house. The answer came from the kitchen downstairs. "Coming!"

"She'll be right with you," Luna said into the phone.

"**_All right. Please hurry…_**_"_ Hotaru's voice was tearful on the other end.

Tsukino Usagi thumped up the stairs carrying a bowl of ice cream. She picked up the phone. "Hello?"

"**_Usagi-san, this is Hotaru_. _I know it's late, but… this is urgent…_**" the young girl said softly.

"What… what is it, Hotaru-chan?"

Luna stood by, watching Usagi's face as she lowered her eyes and nodded somberly. "All right. We'll be right there. Thank you…" she hung up.

"What's happened, Usagi-chan? Hotaru-chan sounded very worried."

Usagi's eyes met Luna's, and the cat saw they were full of tears. "We… we have to go to the hospital. Haruka-san and Michiru-san were in an accident."

Luna silently got in the passenger side of Usagi's car and they headed off. Traffic was surprisingly heavy for the time of night. While sitting at a red light downtown, Luna collected her nerves. "How did Hotaru-chan say Haruka-san and Michiru-san were doing?"

Usagi didn't look at Luna. "I don't think she knew herself."

Neither of them said anything more until they arrived at the hospital. As they came in the sliding glass doors, they saw that all the others were there as well, waiting. "We thought we should wait for you, too, Usagi-chan," Minako said quietly.   

Usagi smiled in spite of herself. "Thanks. Let's get going."

They all took the elevator to the intensive ward, where Haruka was. None of them spoke a word. Walking down the hall felt like a death march. As they reached the room, they noticed one of the nurses coming out. "How's she doing?" asked Ami. 

The nurse smiled at them, still looking very sad. "Her wounds are doing better… but the state she's in—you really can't blame her, the poor girl. Maybe you shouldn't go in there quite yet; she might get upset."

"Good idea," said Rei, with obvious disappointment in her voice. "Maybe we could go see Michiru-san instead."

"Do you mean Kaiou Michiru?" asked the nurse, lowering her voice to a whisper.

"Yes… is that a problem too?" asked Makoto.

The nurse sighed and shook her head. "I'm truly sorry… I'm afraid she didn't make it. She was thrown from the car and hit her head. It's incredible… she had far fewer injuries than Haruka."

A wave of disbelief swept over the girls. They all stood in silence, staring at the nurse. She only averted her eyes. "I-I'd best be going," she said. "I need to get some medication for another patient. I'm very sorry about your friends. I'll be checking on Haruka in another half-hour or so."

As soon as the nurse had disappeared down the hall, the girls heard a little moan from the middle of the group. Luna jumped out of Usagi's arms just as the girl shuddered and collapsed.

"Usagi-chan!"

"She's just… in shock, I think. She'll be fine," Ami confirmed. "Let's go sit down and wait to see Haruka." Her hands shook badly as she said it. Had she just heard that Michiru was really dead?

*****

In the dreadful silence of a morgue, two people waited in the shadows. One, a small, pale, jet-haired girl, grasped the hand of the other, a tall, dark woman with forest-green hair that ran almost the entire length of her body. The pair watched anxiously as an official went down the rows in search of an individual. Finally, he stopped at a drawer. "Here we are," he mumbled. The smaller of the girls clutched her guardian's hand more tightly and gave a small whimper as the man unlocked the drawer, pulling it out quickly. The drawer revealed a body, covered in a white sheet. "Is this your girl?" the man asked as he uncovered Michiru's face. There was blood caked on the right side of her forehead.

The little girl looked down at Michiru and a horrified sob escaped her throat. She ran into the other woman's arms and cried. But the woman only looked down at the face of her friend and partner in silence. _She looks so serene, even in death,_ the woman thought to herself. _Michiru-chan always did seem that way…_

"I'm truly, terribly sorry for your loss. How was she of relation to you, ma'am?"

"Meioh Setsuna is my name," the woman answered, "and Michiru was a good friend of mine."

"S-she was like a mother to me," the girl sobbed from Setsuna's arms. 

"And what's your name, miss?" asked the man.

"T-tomoe Hotaru, sir," she stammered. 

"I'm very sorry, Hotaru. I hope that you'll be able to recover."

"Th-thank you, sir. Please," she turned to Setsuna, "Setsuna-mama, let's go… I don't want to see any more… l-let's go see Haruka-papa."

"All right, Hotaru, we'll do that. Thank you very much, sir." Setsuna took one last look at the body of her partner. _Goodbye, Sailor Neptune._

*****

"Usagi-chan? Are you all right?"

Usagi opened her eyes to the sight of her friends crowded around her, looking more grief-stricken than worried. Suddenly Usagi remembered why, and she sat up with a jolt, frightening everyone. "Michiru-san! Oh God! NO!" she screamed frantically. "Noooo!"

"Usagi-chan! Pull yourself together!" Rei cried as she grabbed Usagi's hands. "We're all upset, but that doesn't mean that you have to freak out on us! Just calm down."

Usagi, who had been hyperventilating from the moment she opened her eyes, now gave way to fitful tears. All the girls tried to calm her down, but she seemed unable to stop. "Michiru-san… no… don't be dead," she sobbed. "Michiru-san…"

"She's in a terrible state," Luna sighed.

"Maybe you should go home, Usagi-chan," Makoto recommended quietly.

"No!" Usagi cried, trying to pull herself together finally. "No. I'll wait to see Haruka-san, and I'll calm down. I'm sorry."

"Atta girl," Minako smiled dryly. "How long have we waited, anyway?"

Ami checked her watch. "It's 12:30 AM. We've been here about two and a half hours."

"So have we," said a familiar voice.

The girls turned to see Setsuna and Hotaru standing behind them. Setsuna was calm, while Hotaru was obviously upset. "Usagi-san!" she cried as she ran to Usagi and they held each other and wept.

"Setsuna-san!" Makoto exclaimed. "We haven't seen either of you here at all until now! Where have you been?"

"I'd rather not elaborate," Setsuna replied softly.

A small noise turned their heads. Another nurse came out of Haruka's room and noticed the group. "Are you waiting to see Miss Ten'oh?" she asked them.

"Yes, we are… could we see her now?" Rei asked.

The nurse shook her head. "I'm sorry; visiting hours are over. You can come back in the morning and I'm sure she'll be glad to see you."

But a faint voice came from inside the room and the nurse paused. "Huh? …Really?" Then she shrugged. "All right, then. Girls," she turned back to the group and smiled, "she tells me she'd like to see you now."

They all filed into the small, dark room, where each of them got an unpleasant surprise. Haruka lay in a white bed, eyes closed, her head, left arm, and entire left side wrapped in bloody bandages. Of the part of her face that wasn't bandaged, most of it was covered in minor lacerations. Her right arm was hooked up to an IV and a heart rate monitor beeped steadily beside her. It seemed they had taken her off oxygen a while before.

Hotaru came in last, just as the nurse shut the door. She took one look at Haruka and put a hand over her mouth to keep herself from crying out. "Haruka-papa…" she whispered. At the sound of Hotaru's voice, Haruka opened her eyes. They seemed to be the only part of her that wasn't injured. "Hime-chan…"

Haruka looked around to see also Setsuna, Makoto, Minako, Usagi, Ami and Rei. "You all came…" She smiled and tried to sit up, but gave a sharp cry of agony and was forced to lie back down.

"Those wounds look serious, Haruka-chan. You'd do best to move as little as possible," Setsuna said.

Haruka laughed wryly. "Yeah, I know… but I just can't seem to hold still. I know I'm just making things worse."

Usagi stepped forward. "Haruka-san…"

Haruka's smile faded as her gaze traveled over to Usagi. "Usagi-chan… are you all right?"

"Y-yeah… I'm just… having a little trouble here, as it is. I really don't like hospitals."

"Neither do I," Haruka replied as she looked out the window. "There's… too much death…" _Michiru…_Haruka couldn't stop the name from echoing inside her head…

***FLASHBACK***

_"It's getting late, Haruka. We should probably head home now."_

_"Ah-ah—we still have shopping to do. What about Usagi-chan? You haven't gotten her anything yet."_

_"Oh, of course! How could I have forgotten a sweet girl like Usagi-chan?" Michiru seemed not too pleased with herself. "How about we stop by that little jewelry place on the way home? I always think of her when I go in there… everything seems so… so much like her."_

_"Oh? Everything's goofy and awkward?" Haruka joked._

_"Haruka! That's not what I mean at all," Michiru protested. "I mean that everything in there seems that it holds all the love in the world, no matter how small or insignificant it may seem."_

_Haruka wasn't at all surprised by Michiru's sentiments about Usagi; she thought the same. "I see," she said quietly. "Yeah, Usagi-chan is rather like that." Haruka smiled thinking of the times when Sailor Moon had proved her worth and power in more ways than one._

_"Michiru… do you ever think of me in that way?"_

_"In what way, Haruka?"_

_"Like you said, when you go into that shop, you think of Usagi-chan. Is there any place like that for me?"_

_They were pulling up to a red light, but Michiru paused in the passenger seat. "Well… yes, there are instances like that."_

_"Do tell."_

_Michiru leaned her head against the window. "You know that moment when the sun is halfway across the horizon, when it lights up the sky and the sea? Whenever I see that, I always feel as though you and I aren't really two different people at all…it's as though we're one." _

_Now Michiru turned to face a startled Haruka. "It's at that time that I can see no horizon. The sky and the sea, the two most boundless things in the universe… our elements…they just…"_

_"…Converge," Haruka finished softly._

_"Yes," Michiru smiled. "It's when I can be most assured that we were meant to be together."_

_"Michiru…" Haruka took her hand, "You don't ever have to doubt that for a second."_

_Michiru closed her fingers around Haruka's gentle hand. "I love you, Haruka."_

Haruka's free hand stroked Michiru's cheek. "I will always love you, my Michiru." Then she leaned in and kissed her deeply.

***END OF FLASHBACK***

Oh, how warm those lips had been, and what beautiful words had come from them…

And how cold and silent they were now…

"Michiru…"

"OH GOD!"

Hotaru screamed. Haruka's eyes had glazed over, and a shining trickle of blood fell from the corner of her mouth.

My Michiru is gone… 

"I'll get the nurse!" Mako-chan cried as she ran from the room.

"Haruka-san! Haruka! ANSWER ME!" Usagi screamed as she shook Haruka.

The injured girl gave a start and sat up, shaking and sweating. Her wide eyes darted all about the room, then settled on Usagi, who still grasped Haruka resolutely. "Usagi-chan…?"

All the girls sighed both in relief and worry as Haruka lay back down and wiped the blood from her face. Just then, the nurse and Mako-chan burst into the room. "What's happened?"

"Everything's all right now; I'm fine. It was just a little… incident. The doctor said it might happen," Haruka said.

"Even so, we'll just need to check. You may have more internal injuries than we thought," the nurse said as she brought out a stick. "Say 'ah.'"

Haruka complied as the nurse shined a light down her throat. "Hmm," the nurse said. "There's quite a nice gash in the back of your mouth. Looks like you may have swallowed some glass."

"I suppose that's bad," Haruka guessed.

"It is bad," the nurse nodded. "It may get stuck somewhere in your digestive tract and cause a lot of internal bleeding before it breaks down. I can't believe we didn't see that before…"

"Does that translate to an operation?" Haruka sighed. She seemed to be taking all of it quite calmly.

"It might. I'll have to check with a doctor. If you see more blood and you even think that it might be from something more than that throat wound, don't hesitate to call a nurse."

"Okay. Thanks," Haruka replied.

The nurse suddenly squinted and stepped closer. "Ooh, those bandages look like they need some changing. Girls, why don't you all go get something to eat?" she suggested. "This may take a while."

"I'll stay here," Usagi said quietly. "I'm not really that hungry."

A collective "WHAT?!" went up from the girls. "How could you _not_ be hungry?" Rei asked, somewhat exasperated. 

"Usagi-chan, are you sure you're feeling okay?" asked Minako.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just thought I'd stay here, that's all," Usagi shrugged.

The girls all looked at each other suspiciously. "Okay…"

"Sure you don't want anything, Usagi-chan?" Makoto asked. "They've got lots of cake down there…"

Usagi twitched. "Umm… no… I…"

"Really? No cake?" Rei shrugged. "All the more for us, then!"

"Yeah!" the cheer rose above Usagi's resolve.

"Okay, WAITASEC!" Usagi exploded. "I forfeit. Bring me some of that cake!"

Everyone burst into giggles… except Haruka, who only stared sadly out the window as the nurse proceeded to unwrap her arm. She didn't even notice as blood poured out of her wounds and began to sprinkle the sheets.


	2. Christmas Day

My Michiru

Part 2

~*~

"_Ho, ho, hotaru koi, atchi no mizu wa nigai zo…"_

Setsuna's eyes opened at a snail's pace, but closed again very quickly as she discovered the daylight. "_Ite_… gotta remember to close the blinds at night," the dark-haired woman mumbled as she flopped over onto her side.

"_…kotchi no mizu wa amai zo… hotaru koi, ho, ho, yama michi koi."_

Her garnet-colored eyes forced themselves open once again as she groaned and stretched her back in an almost cat-like movement. Lifting her head, Setsuna brushed a tendril of long hair away from her face. She caught a glimpse of a picture of her family that stood on her nightstand and smiled vaguely. 

"_Hotaru no otosan kanemochi da, do ri de oshiri ga pikapika da."_

Setsuna slipped quietly down the hall, her bare feet making no sound on the cold hardwood floor. She came into the living room, where she saw Hotaru curled up on the floor, in front of a tree, singing softly… _what's a tree doing in our house?_

Setsuna's eyes followed the tree to its top, where a star was perched. _Of course, it's Christmas, _she thought as she came near Hotaru. 

"_Hiruma wa kusaba no tsuyu no kage, yoru wa ponpon, taka chochin."_

Hotaru was holding a lamp, a deep purple glass sconce painted with white lilies. She held it against her chest and rocked as she sang, almost as though it were a baby. Setsuna watched her with a leaden heart.

"_Tenjiku agari shitareba, tsunbakura ni sarawabe."_

Hotaru suddenly stopped. Setting the lamp down like a baby into a crib, she stood and turned around. Setsuna saw that there were tears on her face, but she was smiling.

"It was… from Michiru-mama. Haruka-papa said it was." Picking up the lamp again, she offered it into Setsuna's hands. "It's beautiful, isn't it? I can't wait to see it lit up."

Setsuna examined the lamp cautiously before giving it back to its owner. Hotaru laid it carefully in a box with tissue paper beneath the tree.

"Michiru used to sing you that song when you were small," Setsuna remarked quietly. 

Hotaru turned around and gave a wry chuckle. "_Come, Firefly_. That was my favorite song because I thought it was about me. Nobody but Michiru-mama could sing it, or else I'd be angry." The smiled faded from her face and her eyes became serious. "Now I must sing it myself. I can't let Michiru-mama go just yet."

Setsuna smiled momentarily before her tears began to flow. Her knees caved in and she cried with her face in her hands. _No, you fool! _Her inner voice shouted at her to stop. _If you cry, you'll set off poor Hotaru._

But it was too late. Setsuna waited for Hotaru's sobs to join her own… and yet they didn't come. Looking up, the senshi of time saw that Hotaru was only standing silently, looking down on her sorrowfully. Setsuna tried to wipe her eyes, but the tears kept coming. Hotaru took a step toward her elder. "Oh, Setsuna-mama…"

Setsuna felt the girl's slender arms close around her as Hotaru rested her pale cheek on Setsuna's head. "It'll be okay, Setsuna-mama," she whispered comfortingly. "I'll never leave you. Neither will Haruka-papa."

"Hime-chan… thank you," Setsuna sobbed. "Merry Christmas."

In a small white house in Minato-ku, the shadow of a cat passed silently through a corridor, flickering under the light of the candles that were hung throughout. It stopped at an open doorway and slipped through just as silently. The shadow's owner hopped up onto the bed with a meow, coming up and rubbing against the bed's occupant and purring. The pajama-clad woman didn't respond, but continued to stare sadly out the window and watch the snowflakes. The white cat crawled into her lap and rubbed the bottom of her chin. "Minako-chan, talk to me. Tell me what you're thinking," the cat said in a serious tone. 

Minako didn't respond at first, but pulled her legs up onto the bed. "I want some answers, Artemis. I want to know what's happening. What's going to change now that Michiru-san is… is…" she couldn't say the last word, and she buried her face in her knees.

"She's gone, Minako-chan," Artemis spoke as a father who would explain a death to a child. "You know that. I don't think this will affect you as directly as some other people, though. Haruka-san, for instance. She might need a friend like you; she and Michiru-san were very close, you know."

"Yes, I know," Minako lifted her face, and Artemis saw that her eyes were full of tears. "But… but will she ever come back?"

Artemis became exasperated. "Minako-chan…" he groaned.

"No, no! Listen to me!" A tear spilled from her eye. "Do you… remember how we were all killed… in the last battle? But we all came back. We were okay. We just didn't remember… who we were," she said. "Do you think… it could be that way for Michiru-san?"

Artemis understood. He sat for a moment, looking thoughtful, before he began to speak slowly. "Minako-chan… I'm sorry, but I don't think she could ever come back."

"But WHY?!" Minako cried in frustration and anger.

"Whenever you all have been kidnapped or killed, you were transformed. Michiru-san was not—"

"What does that have to do with anything?" Minako demanded, sounding very much in agony.

Artemis kept his voice calm. "You and all the other girls are vessels for your respective senshi identities. Michiru-san was too. Without Sailor Neptune, there can still be a Michiru. But," his voice took on a firm tone, "it cannot be the other way around. If Sailor Neptune doesn't have Michiru-san, she won't be able to take on a form."

Minako stared expressionlessly at her guardian cat as hot, silent tears ran down her face. "Vessels…"

Artemis nuzzled against Minako's side and curled up in her lap. "I'm so sorry, Minako-chan…"

"There could be another vessel," Minako said almost mechanically.

Artemis looked up. "_Nani?_"

"There could be another vessel," Minako repeated. "A second chance for Neptune."

"You think so?"

"I don't know. I just have an odd feeling she's not really gone."

The two sat in silence for a long time, both of them pondering Minako's words, wondering if they could be true.

"Haruuuuuuukaaaaaaaaa!"

The person so named groaned and rolled over in her bed. "It's too early, Hime-chan…"

"Haruka-senpai, wake up!"

_Oh, it's not Hotaru_, Haruka thought to herself as she opened her eyes to find a little pink bundle sitting next to her. Before she could do or say anything, though, the door burst open. 

"Chibi-usa! I thought I told you not to wake up Haruka-senpai! I'm so sorry, Haruka-san," Usagi said as she collected her daughter. "She doesn't know the difference between waking her parents and other people."

Haruka laughed and sat up. "It's okay. I probably slept in anyway."

"I think you're right," Mamoru said as he closed the door. "It's 11:30 already. Still, Chibi-usa should know better," he said as he wagged a finger at his daughter. Chibi-usa giggled. "I'm sorry, Haruka-senpai. Merry Christmas!"

"Merry Christmas to you, too, Chibi-usa-chan." Haruka sighed as she rubbed her eyes. Usagi suddenly thought of something. She whispered to her daughter. Chibi-usa's eyes lit up. The pink-haired girl nodded and hopped to the floor, where she picked up a small box tied with a dark blue ribbon. She climbed up on the bed and presented it to Haruka. The wind senshi carefully untied the ribbon as Chibi-usa watched with anticipation. Haruka's expression turned to one of wonder when she pulled the gift out.

"Usagi-chan, Mamoru-san, Chibi-usa-chan… you didn't have to…"

Haruka's deep blue eyes reflected the gleaming surface of the blue gem she held in front of her face. It was trimmed in gold swirled with copper. On the back was the character for _ten_ (sky), her element. Its beauty mesmerized Haruka.

"Do you like it, Haruka-san?" Usagi asked cautiously, causing Haruka to look up.

"Like it!" Haruka replied after a minute, "It's beautiful! Thank you so much, Usagi-chan." Haruka smiled as she fastened the necklace, wincing from the pain in her arm.

Chibi-usa clapped her hands together excitedly and jumped up and down, her pigtails bouncing rhythmically. "I knew she'd like it! I knew it! I knew it!"

Usagi smiled down at her bubbly offspring. "Chibi-usa helped me pick it out."

Haruka helped Chibi-usa back up to the bed and hugged her. "Thank you, too." But as she let go of the child, she felt something bubble up inside her. They had to go. They couldn't see this… she swallowed hard and smiled up at Usagi and Mamoru. "I wish I had something more to give you… but…"

Mamoru shook his head. "We couldn't ask anything of you, Haruka-san."

"Except to get well and be happy," Usagi added.

Haruka lowered her eyes. _Happy… I was happy with Michiru, _she thought. _I can't be happy now. Not when they took my life away from me. _She swallowed again, this time she tasted blood.

"Haruka-san?"

"Huh?" Haruka broke out of her daze and saw Usagi there, her eyes slowly filling with realization. The odango-haired girl cast her eyes down for a moment. "I see…" then she looked up and smiled cheerfully at Haruka. "Well, I think we'll be going, then. We're supposed to meet Ami-chan for lunch."

 Chibi-usa groaned in disappointment and turned toward the door. "Bye, Haruka-senpai!" she called back before exiting. Mamoru bowed. "Get better soon, Haruka-san." He didn't seem to know.

Usagi went last out the door. She looked up. Her sad eyes met Haruka's momentarily, and then she slipped out, closing the door behind her.

Haruka listened to their footsteps fade down the hall. As the world became silent again, she closed her eyes and clasped the jewel around her neck. Comfort and warmth cloaked Haruka as she sank into her pillow with a sigh. She opened her eyes to see Michiru's smiling face. Her heart sped up and her eyes filled with tears of joy. "You've come back to me, Michiru!" Haruka cried as she reached out to touch her lover's beautiful face. Looking at her own hand, she saw it covered in blood.

Suddenly Michiru was gone, and all that was there were the hospital room and the bloody hand. Haruka's eyes took on a frantic disbelief as the blood dripped onto her face. "Michiru! No! Come back!" The tears her eyes had held for joy now flowed in sorrow. "Why, Michiru?"

Haruka gagged as something warm and wet flowed down her neck. Looking down, she saw only a pool of her own blood that was running down to the floor now. She sat up, her arms shaking with effort. "Why?!" she screamed as more blood fell to the sheets. 

_Badum-badum-badum. _She could hear the rhythms of her heart. They were louder than the monitor. Tears fell, but they were only more blood to Haruka.

_Badum, badum._ The beating of her blood was slowing down now. Haruka's head slid into the wet, crimson pillow with a loud and sickening _squelch_. Her world fell into blackness, but she saw Michiru's face again, wearing the same smile. "Why, Michiru?" she moaned. "Why are you doing this?"

Then Sailor Neptune disappeared, for only the second time.

Sunlight flooded the room and made the water sparkle, but Hino Rei didn't care. She sat in the bathtub with her knees drawn up close to her chest; tendrils of her raven hair floated all around her. She ran a hand down her arm and flinched as she touched the water. _It's getting cold_, she thought. Shivering, Rei tucked her knees up under her chin, but they slipped out from under her with a squeal. The senshi of fire found herself submerged under the cold, dark water. She lay on the bottom of the tub, her hair swimming around her like black snakes, watching the sunlight play on the surface. _It's so quiet and peaceful down here_, Rei mused as a sad smiled crossed her lips and her eyes closed. _Was this what you loved about the ocean, Michiru-san?_

The salt from her tears tainted the water as Rei turned onto her side. _It's warmer down here, too._

Her ruminations were suddenly interrupted by a muffled knock on the door. Sitting up, Rei gasped for air and parted her hair from her face. "Who is it?"

"Rei-chan, it's Makoto. I'll wait for you in the shrine, okay?"

Rei started to get out of the tub. "I'll be out in a sec." She shivered as she put her hair back loosely and changed into a comfortable pair of jeans and a red sweater. Sliding the door open, she took a glance down the hall. Makoto was kneeling in front of the fire, her face shrouded in shadow. She looked up and brushed her bangs out of her face as Rei came in. "You ready?"

The priestess nodded. "Yeah, Mako-chan, I'm ready."

"Okay, then. Let's get out of here." Makoto stood up hurriedly and walked straight past Rei, her eyes cast down. Rei followed silently. She knew there was no more to say.

Well, that concludes Part 2 of "My Michiru!" I hope you have enjoyed the story so far. Thank you to knshn4eva for your review, I'm glad you liked the first chapter (I'm glad the effect came through, anyway J). I'd like more reviews, and I'd like them to be honest, please. The best way to improve is through the criticism of other writers, so tell me if anything seemed a little off-key. Or, on the other hand, tell me if you loved it! More chapters coming very soon!

Sincerely,

Yami-neko-sama, Goddess of the Nocturne Felines =^-.-^=


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